How to Pick the Right Welder Training Program near New Kensington Pennsylvania
Finding the ideal welder trade school near New Kensington PA is an important first step to starting your new occupation as a professional welder. But since there are numerous schools to pick from, how do you know which ones to consider? And more notably, once you have narrowed down your options, how do you pick the best one? Many people begin by checking out the schools that are closest to their residences. Once they have identified those that are within driving distance, they gravitate toward the least expensive one. Yes, location and the cost of tuition are crucial issues when reviewing welder vocational schools, but they are not the only ones. Other considerations include such things as reputation, accreditation and job placement rates. So before starting your search for a vocational school to become a welder, it’s sensible to develop a list of qualifications that your chosen school must have. But before we explore our due diligence checklist, let’s cover a little bit about how to become a welder.
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Welder Certificate and Degree Training Courses
There are several options available to receive training as a welder in a technical or trade school. You can receive a diploma, a certificate or an Associate Degree. Bachelor Degrees are offered in Welding Technology or Welding Engineering, but are more advanced degrees than most journeyman welders will need. Some programs are also made available along with an apprenticeship program. Following are short descriptions of the most typical welding programs offered in the New Kensington PA area.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are normally offered by technical and trade schools and require about one year to complete. They are more hands-on training in scope, created primarily to teach welding skills. They can provide a good foundation for a new journeyman or apprentice welder, or supplemental skills for working welders.
- Associate Degree Programs will take two years to complete and are usually offered by community colleges. An Associate Degree in Welding Technology offers a more well-rounded education than the diploma or certificate while still providing the foundation that prepares students to enter the workforce.
Many municipalities and states do have licensing requirements for welders, so be sure to check for your location of future employment. If needed, the welder school you select should prepare you for any licensing examinations that you will have to pass in addition to supplying the proper training to become a qualified welder.
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Welder Certification Alternatives
There are several institutions that provide welder certifications, which evaluate the knowledge and skill level of those applying. Many New Kensington PA employers not only demand a certificate or degree from an accredited welding program, but also certification from a highly regarded agency like the American Welding Society (AWS). A variety of certifications are offered dependent on the type of work that the welder performs. A few of the skills that certification can acknowledge are the welder’s ability to
- Work in compliance with specific codes
- Work with specified metal thicknesses
- Work with various types of welds
- Operate based on contract specifications
As earlier mentioned, some states, cities or local municipalities have licensing requirements for welders. Of those calling for licensing, some also require certification for various kinds of work. Certification is also a way to prove to employers that you are an exceptionally skilled and qualified welder. So similarly as with licensing, look into the requirements for your local area and make certain that the welding technical school you decide on readies you for certification if needed.
Topics to Ask Welder Trade Schools
When you have decided on the credential you want to attain, a degree, certificate or diploma, you can begin to compare schools. As you are no doubt aware, there are numerous welding trade and vocational schools in the New Kensington PA area. That’s why it’s essential to decide in advance what qualifications your chosen school must have. We have already discussed a couple of important ones that many people look at first, which are location and tuition cost. As mentioned, although they are essential qualifiers, they are not the only ones that should be looked at. After all, the school you choose is going to furnish the training that will be the foundation of your new career as a welder. So below are some additional factors you might want to evaluate before choosing a welding technical school.
Accreditation. It’s extremely important that the welder technical school you decide on is accredited by either a national or a regional agency. There are two standard kinds of accreditation. The school may earn Institutional Accreditation based on all of their programs. Programmatic Accreditation is based on an individual program the school offers, for instance Welding Technology. So verify that the program you select is accredited, not just the school alone. Additionally, the accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting agency, like the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT). In addition to helping make sure that you get a superior education, the accreditation can also assist in obtaining financial assistance or student loans, which are often not offered in New Kensington PA for non-accredited schools. Also, for those states or local governments that mandate licensing, they may require that the welder training program be accredited as well.
Job Assistance and Apprenticeship Programs. Many welder certificate or degree programs are provided combined with an apprenticeship program. Some other schools will help place you in a job or an apprenticeship upon graduation. Ask if the schools you are looking at assist in placing students in apprenticeships or have a job placement program. The schools should have associations with local unions and various metal working businesses to which they can place their students. Older schools may have a larger network of graduates that they can utilize for referrals. These programs can assist students in finding employment and develop relationships within the New Kensington PA welding community.
Job Placement and Completion Rates. The completion rate is the percentage of students that begin an academic program and complete it. It’s important that the welding school you choose has a high completion rate. A reduced rate may mean that the students who enrolled in the program were dissatisfied with the training, the teachers, or the facilities, and dropped out. The job placement rate is also an indication of the caliber of training. A higher job placement rate will not only confirm that the school has a good reputation within the trade, but additionally that it has the network of New Kensington PA employer relationships to assist students secure employment or apprenticeships after graduation.
Modern Facilities and Equipment. After you have decreased your selection of welding schools to two or three possibilities, you should think out visiting the campuses to inspect their facilities. Verify that both the facilities and the equipment that you will be trained on are up-to-date. In particular, the training equipment should be similar to what you will be working with on the job. If you are unsure what to look for, and are currently in an apprenticeship program, consult with the master welder you are working under for guidance. Otherwise, ask a local New Kensington PA welding professional if they can give you a few tips.
School Location. Even though we already briefly talked about the importance of location, there are a couple of additional points that we need to deal with. You should keep in mind that unless you are able to relocate, the welding school you choose must be within commuting distance of your New Kensington PA home. If you do decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, apart from moving expenses there could be higher tuition fees for out-of-state residents. This is especially the case for welder diploma programs offered by community colleges. Also, if the school offers an apprenticeship or job placement program, most likely their placements are within the school’s regional community. So the location of the school should be in an area or state where you ultimately will desire to work.
Smaller Classes. One-on-one training is essential for a manual trade such as welding. It’s easy to get lost in bigger classes and not receive much personalized instruction. Find out what the usual class size is for the welder programs you are considering. Ask if you can attend some classes so that you can see just how much personal attention the students are receiving. While there, talk with a few of the students and get their opinions. Also, chat with a couple of the trainers and find out what their welding experience has been and what certifications and credentials they hold.
Flexible Class Schedules. Some people learn a new trade while still working at their present job. Verify that the class schedules for the schools you are considering are convenient enough to satisfy your needs. If you can only go to classes at night or on weekends near New Kensington PA, confirm that the schools you are considering offer those choices. If you can only enroll part-time, confirm that the school you choose offers part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make up classes should you miss any because of illness, work or family responsibilities.
Online Welding Classes
Welding is truly a hands-on kind of trade, and therefore not very suitable for training online. Having said that, there are some online welding programs offered by various community colleges and vocational schools in the greater New Kensington PA area that can be credited toward a certificate or degree program. These classes mainly deal with such topics as safety, reading blueprints, and metallurgy. They can help give a novice a basis to start their training and education. Nevertheless, the most important point is that you can’t learn how to weld or use welding materials until you actually do it. Obviously that can’t be accomplished online. These skills have to be learned in an on-campus environment or in an apprenticeship. Online or distance learning is more appropriate for seasoned welders that desire to advance their knowledge or possibly attain a more advanced degree. So if you should come across an online welding certificate or degree program, be extremely cautious and verify that the bulk of the training is done on campus or in a workshop type of environment.
Guide to Accredited Welding Courses New Kensington PA
Choosing the right welding school will probably be the most important decision you will make to launch your new profession. You originally stopped by our website because you had an interest in Guide to Accredited Welding Courses and wanted more information on the topic Guide to Weekend Welding Courses. However, as we have covered in this article, there are many things that you will need to examine and compare between the programs you are considering. It’s a prerequisite that any welding school that you are reviewing includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be small in size and every student must have their personal welding machine to train with. Classroom teaching should provide a real-world context, and the course of study should be current and conform with industry standards. Training programs differ in length and the type of credential provided, so you will need to decide what length of program and credential will best satisfy your needs. Every program provides different possibilities for certification also. Probably the best approach to research your final list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to sit in on some classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you decide on is the best one for you. With the right training, hard work and dedication, the final result will be a new career as a professional welder in New Kensington PA.
Other Pennsylvania Welder Locations
New Kensington, Pennsylvania
New Kensington, known locally as New Ken, is a city in Westmoreland County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, situated along the Allegheny River 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Pittsburgh. The population was 13,116 at the 2010 Census.
Like much of Westmoreland County and surrounding areas, the region was a hunting ground for Native Americans of the Six Nations European-American settlement began in the mid-1700s. Continental army troops built Fort Crawford, near the mouth of Pucketa Creek, in 1777. The fort was abandoned in 1793.
Originally part of Burrell (and later Lower Burrell) Township, the city of New Kensington was founded in 1891. In 1890, the Burrell Improvement Company considered the advantages of the level land south of its home in Lower Burrell, and deemed it a prime location for a city and named the area "Kensington"; this was later changed to "New Kensington" for postal reasons, to avoid confusion with the Philadelphia neighborhood of the same name. In an attempt to make New Kensington comparable to Pittsburgh, the streets were named with numbers. Avenues ran parallel to the river, while streets were perpendicular. The main commercial streets were 4th and 5th avenues.
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